Cymbals are well known percussion devices usually played by a drummer. The best sound of a cymbal is a ringing sound or clear resonance; consequently, cymbals have been made with a bell-shape at the center point to assist in producing a ringing sound of high resonance. When mounting a cymbal on a stand, it is important to secure it in a manner that avoids the production of dead sound, as well as results in a sound having the desired resonance. Specifically, the cymbal should be mounted on the rod in a manner that prevents the mounting device from damping the vibrations of the cymbal when struck. In other words, the cymbal should be able to tilt or wobble when struck to the extent desired by the percussionist.
Stands for mounting cymbals include a rod or pole having a threaded section at its upper end that is inserted through a central aperture formed into the cymbal. The cymbal typically rests on an annular shoulder that may be formed as a diametrically widened section of the rod, and is secured to the rod by a fastener (such as a wing nut) that engages the threaded upper section of the rod. A cymbal support may be placed on the rod immediately below the cymbal. The support, e.g., a ring-shaped cushion of felt or similar material, helps to support the cymbal in the desired vertical position along the rod. These conventional cymbal supports suffer from several drawbacks. First, they possess an inconsistent contact surface, thus are unstable. Second, conventional supports wear over time, making the support ineffective at maintaining the vertical positioning of the cymbal. Third, conventional supports do not accommodate tilting of the cymbal, thus tend to dampen the vibration of the cymbal, diminishing sound quality.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a support device for a cymbal that provides stable support while permitting unabated tilting of the cymbal to prevent dampening of cymbal sound.